Critter Alley

Sunday, December 19, 2010

A Small Christmas "Tail"-4

Onward to Part 4...

A Small Christmas "Tail"

Casey loped out the door and felt only a little guilty at scattering the yard full of birds. No matter. He knew they'd be back just as soon as he went inside. Birds never let anything bother them for long.

As was his custom, Casey carefully marked the perimeter of the yard, which served to warn strangers not to trespass on his territory. He felt it only proper to avoid any unpleasantness by letting them know who was in charge. Once he finished that task, Casey raced to the farthest point of the yard which bordered a small lake. The water sparkled with golden pink sunlight.

Casey licked his lips. After so much hard work, a cool drink would certainly hit the spot. And as an added bonus, he didn't even need to worry about his feet getting muddy. The ground had been hard for weeks. Casey touched his muzzle to the surface and began to lap until he noticed a large gray fish swimming just beneath the surface. He lifted his head and nodded an amiable greeting.

The fish regarded him cautiously and then nodded in reply. Casey recalled how his people once talked about fish being brain food. That must mean fish were smart. As long as such an intelligent creature was handy, why not ask him about Christmas?

"Sir, do you happen to know anything about Christmas?"

The fish pursed his mouth and bubbles traveled from it to the surface. With each bursting bubble, Casey heard words that sloshed with every syllable.

"Of course I do. That's the time when humans drag green trees to the water and throw them in for us."

Casey pricked his ears forward and tilted his head to the side.

"But why would they do that?"

More bubbles drifted upward.

"It gives us a safe place to bring our young ones into the world. Christmas is about home."

Then the fish turned smoothly and with a flip of his tail glided away. Casey scratched a tickle behind his ear while he thought. Could Christmas be about home? The idea made him long for the warmth of the house, so he turned to trot back to the door.

But before he'd taken more than three steps, he noticed a beautiful doe move from the cover of trees to the lake.

Coming August, 2016!

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My story, Taking a New Direction, appears in this collection

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My story, On My Own, appears in this collection

Chicken Soup for the Soul Contributor

Pat Wahler

Pat Wahler is an award winning writer of creative personal essays and fiction. Her work has been published in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Sasee Magazine, Not Your Mother's Book series, Storyteller Magazine, and other collections of poetry and prose. Pat's current projects include a Civil War era novel and a children's book.